LAKELAND, Fla.—Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander did not have a very good outing Monday afternoon against the New York Mets. He gave up five runs, including two homers, walked two, hit two, balked home a run and was unable to complete five innings.

But at least he wasn’t on the receiving end of his final pitch, a fastball that drilled Jordany Valdespin in an area where you don’t want to be hit.

Exactly where, Valdespin was asked by a New York TV interviewer.

“In the (yes, he said the D-word).”

Valdespin spent a couple of painful minutes on the ground but walked off the field and reported a few minutes later that “everything is good, working normally.”

Though the utility man led off the game with a home run, he said that he didn’t think Verlander hit him intentionally. Especially not in a spot where few batters are hit.

So unusual was this HBP that after hearing a question start with, “Have you …” Verlander interrupted, “ever hit somebody in the (privates)?

“No,” he then answered. “He took a hack at the first pitch. Next one, he totally squared at me. Right out of the hand, it’s, 'Oh (shoot). That is right at his (privates).'”

“Rhythm was off,” he said. “That led to everything. Fastball control was not good. Changeup was bad. Slider was bad. Breaking ball was all right.”

A taxing bullpen session between his previous start and Monday’s start could have been the cause. Verlander said for the first time this spring, he “really grinded” in the bullpen.

“I felt like that kind of ran over into this start,” he added. “I just didn’t feel fresh.”

He said he typically endures such a bad outing around this time in spring training. “My agent calls me ‘the Farmer’s Almanac,’” he said. “Everything is right on cue.”

The big right-hander was able to take one positive in his fourth start of camp, though. “In season, there’s going to be times when I want to go in the bullpen and work on stuff and tax myself,” he said. “I need to be able to respond. I think it’s a good thing I was able to do that this time and get my body accustomed to it. Hopefully, next time I do it, I feel great.”

Undoubtedly he will feel better than his final fastball left Valdespin feeling.